Protect Your Home And Family
Owen Jones | June 1, 2010Everybody worries about the security of their homes and families. The question is: how can you make your home secure without turning it into Fort Knox? The sad fact is that, if someone is determined to get into your house, they can and will. Ten years ago, my home was ‘safe’, but I was conned into opening the door and I let my attackers in. No home security system can protect against situation like that.
Burglars look for homes that appear vulnerable. Most thieves are opportunistic. In other words, if they see an open door or window or if it is obvious that no one is at home and if there is no noticeable security, then it is worth them trying to get in. Open gates are also an invitation. So are valuable possessions displayed in windows.
It only takes minutes to steal something, you would be surprised. I let two armed criminals into my house and they timed 15 minutes to take everything of value in my house and then a car stopped outside to pick them up. It was night time and I was tied up. It could have been a taxi, which would not have aroused my neighbours’ suspicion.
It is important to show people (opportunistic thieves) that you have a home security set-up of some type. If you cannot afford a good, working alarm system, get a dummy siren box with a flashing light. It is not as good as a proper system, but it would take a brave or desperate burglar to find out, which means that you cannot tell anyone at all, in case it gets out.
A home security system is well-worth the money you will spend on it. The anxiety of being burgled or even held up, as I was, will make you wish that you were more security conscious. But it does not stop when the burglars go away. Then the police come and I spent from midnight until 4AM at the police station. I had to go back at least a dozen times after that. My insurance company had dozens of questions and it took four months to get a disbursement.
I felt certain that the burglars knew me, and I felt threatened everywhere I went for months. I could not stop glaring into people’s eyes to see if I could recognize my intruders’ (they had masks on, but I saw one man’s eyes). My life has altered radically. I even moved out of my house the next day and never went back again.
As I said before, I had a good system in place, but I had turned it off as soon as I got home and opened the front door to my burglars. My suggestion is to get a wired or wireless home security system and, if you can afford it, get a monitored home security system with at least one surveillance camera, but preferably one on each external wall and one inside in the hall.
Obtain contact sensors for all external doors and vibration sensors for all windows. Put a personal panic button by all external doors and have garden lights that are activated by motion or body heat outside. Keep your system switched on and be very wary of who you open the door to.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with wired home security systems. If you are interested in Security Systems For Home Use, please click through to our site.
